MDG Six in Timor-Leste

Goal Six: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & Other Diseases

Target 1: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
Scorecard for Timor-Leste: Insufficient data/information
Target 2: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Scorecard for Timor-Leste: Insufficient data/information
Timor-Leste is currently experiencing a low level HIV epidemic. Prevalence was less than one per cent in both the 2004 and 2007 studies conducted by WHO. There is also evidence of a low level epidemic in that the total number of HIV case detections so far in the country is less than two hundred. Health workers and community workers in Dili have noted that there are a few women widowed by AIDS and children orphaned by AIDS. Mother to child transmission of the virus has also been noted and children have died of HIV disease. These findings indicate that HIV has been present in the country for up to ten years. However, low HIV prevalence at present does not indicate that there is low HIV vulnerability. There are clear indications that Timor-Leste has many of the factors that increase vulnerability to HIV. Poverty and limited opportunities for income from employment, especially for women, push people into high-risk behaviour. This includes both commercial sex and transactional sex. Low levels of literacy make social mobilization and HIV prevention education more challenging. Although it has other impacts on the epidemic, gender inequality increases both the supply and demand for commercial sex. Timorese women are driven to sex work by poverty and Timorese men have disposable income to purchase sex. Timor-Leste is reported to have extremely high levels of gender based violence. Sexual violence and gender-based violence undermine women’s ability to negotiated safe sex. There are anecdotal reports that trafficking of women into exploitative sexual situations occurs within Timor-Leste. There have also been unconfirmed reports of women trafficked to and from the country.
Prevalence of malaria in the country as well as the number of deaths associated with the disease was 10.7% in 2007. Urban dwellers are better equipped to prevent malaria than their rural counterparts where there is high risk of malaria incidence. Nevertheless, the proportion of people sleeping in insecticide-treated bed nets is still a matter of concern. Only about one fifth of urban population use treated mosquito nets. This situation had not improved much since 2001. Unless new malaria treatment strategies are effective and the population is fully covered, the target of 45% by 2010 and 60% in 2015 could be difficult to achieve.
Global Tuberculosis Control as the provider of such indicator estimated an increasing trend during 2005-2006. The prevalence rate was 713 cases per 100,000 people in 2005 and increased to 789 cases in 2006. Reports also indicate the number of deaths associated with tuberculosis up to 88 per 100,000 people in 2005 and hiked up to 98 cases in 2006. The government has targeted that this figure should be reduced to 874 in 2010 and, further, decreased to 644 in 2015. Aside from number of cases detected, decreasing trend was occurred in the proportion cured cases as well.
Timor-Leste has 56 reported cases of HIV/AIDS. The Government of Timor-Leste has adopted international procedures on HIV/AIDS such as international precautions, PEP, Mother to child transmission, GIPA etc. Given its global mandate of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in development work, UNDP Timor-Leste has supported setting up of the National AIDS Commission (NAC) in 2006 and continues to assist strengthening NAC secretariat. NAC is composed of 22 members including National NGOs, National Parliament, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Solidarity, Faith Based Organizations, clinical services, National Hospital, UNTG and CCM.
Malaria: Timor Leste developed a comprehensive response to reduce the burden of malaria through mobilizing resources, development and implementation of effective strategies. Malaria diagnosis and treatment has been improved and ITN distributed targeted for children under 5 and pregnant women in very high risk areas. Timor Leste is moving towards a wide scale and comprehensive malaria control programme to reduce the morbidity and mortality of malaria. The support of funding from GFATM (Global Fund for AIDS, Malaria and TB) will enable Ministry of Health to further enhance and accelerate the implementation of HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB programme in Timor Leste.
Tuberculosis: Timor-Leste has adopted the DOTS strategy for the control of TB in line with the global recommendations. Presently, the entire population of the country in the 13 districts have access to DOTS services. Sputum microscopy services are provided through a network of laboratories in the 18 DOTS centers. Treatment services have been integrated within the general health system and decentralized to Community Health Centers and other peripheral health facilities. The National TB Programme has been consistently achieving treatment success rates of about 80% among new sputum positive cases. The case detection rates based on earlier estimates of incidence of TB estimates have been low compared to the global targets. However, the proportion of case detection will be closer to the global targets following the revision of estimates of incidence of NSP cases by international experts and agencies. To mitigate constraints in implementation of TB control activities the NTP is mobilizing additional resources through Global Fund and other partners.
HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Timor-Leste is presently low. However, presence of risk factors like high levels of STIs, low community awareness, social dislocation and rapid social change have the potential to rapidly change the scenario. HIV has been accorded priority in the Health Sector Strategic Plan 2008 – 2012 developed by the Ministry of Health. The National HIV/AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for 2006 – 2010 focuses on prevention and education; voluntary counseling and testing; multi-sectoral response; and clinical services. The National Programme has initiated interventions on community awareness generation, role out of VCT services, targeted interventions among the most at risk groups in collaboration with civil society partners and STI services with fund support from Global Fund. KADALAK0003

HIV/AIDS in East Timor

Timor-Leste is a low HIV-prevalence country with less than 0.2 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV-positive. However, social factors such as massive social dislocation, cross-border migration, high unemployment, and a weak and limited health system could dramatically increase the spread of HIV infection. Many young people are not well-equipped with the knowledge and life skills to manage HIV risk in an increasingly challenging environment.^[1]

The first HIV/AIDS case in Timor-Leste was detected in 2001. Forty-three cases of the disease were confirmed in 2007 and are now under treatment, according to the Ministry of Health. However, limited surveillance capabilities and inadequate testing could mean that more people are infected.^[1]

Although HIV prevalence among the general population appears to be quite low, there are signs of a low-level epidemic among Timor-Leste’s sex workers and men who have sex with men (MSM). According to data collected in mid-2003 by Family Health International (FHI), HIV-prevalence rates among sex workers and MSM were 3 percent and 1 percent, respectively. According to the same study, among female sex workers (FSWs), 14 percent tested positive for gonorrhea, 15 percent for chlamydia, 16 percent for trichomonas and 60 percent for herpes simplex virus-2. No comparable data have been collected since, and consequently, the current situation is unknown. Timor-Leste is also vulnerable due to its close proximity to nearby countries that are experiencing localized epidemics such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.^[1]

General public health knowledge on primary health care, including reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV/AIDS, is very limited especially in remote areas. Only 50.7 percent of the population 15 years old and over ever heard about HIV/AIDS; and among those in that same population group who think it can be avoided, only 41.8 percent know that it can be avoided by use of condoms, according to the 2007 Timor-Leste Living Standards Measurement Study. There are others factors that contribute to the risk and impact of HIV/AIDS among women; they include domestic violence, lower literacy and education levels, and cultural constraints in discussing issues of sex. Providing the general population with information to combat HIV/AIDS is complicated due to low prevalence and limited access to the communities. According to the National Statistic Directorate Census 2004, most people live in the rural areas, mainly around the northern coastal regions in small, dispersed villages. According to the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 2003, more than 60 percent of women and 70 percent of men do not recognize any method of family planning, and only 10 percent of women are using any contraceptive method.^[1]

Timor-Leste can still be classified as a conflict country. The civil unrest that erupted in April/May 2006 continues to be unsettled and constitutes a risk for high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault, thereby leaving women more vulnerable to infection since they are unable to negotiate condom use. The country has a high tuberculosis (TB) burden, with 250 new cases per 100,000 people in 2005, according to the World Health Organization.^[1]

From the 43 cases under treatment, data from the Ministry of Health due to be released in early 2008, shows that at least three people have HIV-TB co-infections; two children under five received the infection from their mothers; and two pregnant women are under prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) HIV treatment.^[1]

National response

HIV/AIDS has had a devastating impact on other countries in comparable circumstances to Timor-Leste. Among Timor-Leste’s nearest neighbors, Papua New Guinea appears to be in the early stages of a generalized HIV epidemic that threatens to not only halt, but also reverse the development achievements the nation has made in its relatively short history. Many of the circumstances that have led to the current HIV situation in Papua New Guinea are also present in Timor-Leste, including large-scale social dislocation and high levels of HIV-related risk.^[1]

In 2002 a National HIV/AIDS/STI Strategic Plan (2002–2005) was adopted. In the period since, Timor-Leste has adopted and implemented strategies, policies, programs, and projects to address HIV/AIDS. However, among key stakeholders, it is generally accepted that while many effective activities have been implemented, overall coordination is weak, and important gaps exist. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS across the general population remains low, the level of unsafe sex practices is high, and STI rates are also high.^[1]

In mid-2005, the Ministry of Health, with support from UN Agencies and key civil society organizations, initiated a process to review the National HIV/AIDS/STI Strategic Plan (2002–2005) and develop a new national strategic plan to cover the period 2006–2010. The new National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS/STIs 2006–2010 was approved by the Council of Ministers in August 2006. The goal is “to maintain Timor-Leste as a low prevalence HIV nation and minimize the adverse consequences for those infected with HIV.” Four program components were identified:

• Prevention and education targeting the population in general and more specifically most-at-risk groups (MARGs), which include MSM, FSW, clients of sex workers, people in uniform, and young people;
• Voluntary counseling and testing targeting MARGs and PMTCT; and
• Clinical services: ensure availability of antiretroviral treatment to all diagnosed people; develop policies, protocols, and procedures to all aspect of patient management; STI treatment services; procurement and supply of drugs and other commodities; and blood safety.^[1]

A key part of the national strategy is the establishment of the National AIDS Commission, to provide independent advice to the Government of Timor-Leste on all matters related to HIV/AIDS and to monitor and advise on the progress in implementation of the National Strategic Program.^[1]

In 2006, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved a fifth-round grant for Timor-Leste to scale up the national response to HIV/AIDS through the delivery of services and information to at-risk populations and people living with HIV/AIDS. The grant was signed in December 2006 and now is on quarter three implementation. Assessment reports show good performance in relation to targets settled for quarter 1 and quarter 2.^{[1] Kadalakpress001}

ATAURO

An hour and a half by speed boat (or a 2+ hour ferry ride) north of Dili brings you to Atauro Island. The island can literally be seen from the shores of Dili, yet the island is miles away in terms of activities and development. If the hustle and bustle of Dili is like a rabbit, Atauro Island is like a slug. People on the island take life a day at a time… adults fish and kids play.

A group of 16 of us went to Atauro for the weekend and it was definitely a nice break. Some of us took the speed boat which was chartered from Jim’s Island Charter Tours (USD$65 rtn per person) while the others took the slower ferry and fishing boat (USD$15 rtn). We stayed at the Tua Koin Eco Lodge. The eco lodge is a great idea whether for Atauro Island or for other places that are more developed. It tries to stay in harmony with nature and minimize its impact on the local environment.

First, electricity was only used when it was needed (i.e. when the sun went down), then there was no air-con. This surprisingly was refreshing – not only did nature provide natural A/C, it also felt cooler here than in Dili, probably because of the lack of cars, A/Cs and other machines generating heat and warming up the air. Then there was the natural shower that consisted of a simple yet very effective way to shower – a bucket and some plants around to soak up the waste water. Its shocking how little water we actually need to shower. Finally, there is the eco-toilet. Similar to the shower, the bathroom was simply but nicely decorated and had a sturdy seat which sat above a large and deep hole. Even though the toilet was constantly being used, it didn’t smell. I didn’t get a chance to read why this was so, but from what I heard, it is because of the depth of the hole, and the dried leaves and tree bark that are added to the waste. Because of this system, the waste eventually gets composted and becomes natural fertilizer.

And then there was the bungalows that we stayed in… they were clean, well-kept, and made of local natural materials (i.e. bamboo). We took a bungalow in the corner that was literally steps away from the beach. This weekend on Atauro Island at the Tua Koin Eco Lodge was close to being ‘heaven on Earth’. Kadalak001

Jaco – and it's not about Michael

Just got back from Jaco Island… at the eastern end of Timor-Leste.  It’s a long ride to get out to the point (about 6 hours on some very questionable roads), but well worth the effort. The scenery changes (i.e. it’s really dry since it’s the dry season) and there is a definite shortage of civilization/people… The east is where you’ll also find the traditional Timorese spirit house (above photo).

Imagine the tropical paradise that advertising companies do so well and you’ll only get a slice of what Jaco is.  The water is crystal clear with the most vivid turquoise imaginable, and the sand is as find as sand can be. I’ll let the photos speak for itself – I haven’t retouched any of these photos!

I’m not sure if development is good or not… yes, it’ll help the country, but then again, places like this won’t be kept untouched kadalak001

Day 2 (#GISDay) – Kids, military, uni students come for a visit

With maps, we build the future of Timor-Leste keeps going strong at Casa Europa. Day 2 was as popular as the first day. This time around there was a class field trip from the Dili International School who came for a visit – as you can see they were very interested in the 1:50000 floor map. Also, the military came to look around since they contributed a couple of 2+ meter long maps to the event. It’s great to see that the event is drawing people from all over.

One of the highlights was the presentations in the afternoon which was mainly attended by Timorese… the first was given by a staff member at the Ministry of Agriculture. The surprising thing was that it was a women who really knew what she was talking about – collecting climate data from weather stations setup around the country. Given that Timor-Leste has its issues with Education, and the challenges for women to have a higher education, the sight of a very pregnant staff member presenting was a pleasant surprise.

The second half of the presentation was given by our good friend Osorio, who is probably one of the only experts in remote sensing in the country – he knew his stuff! One idea that came up was to have more presentations like these in the academic setting to encourage Timorese to learn more about how GIS and maps can help their country develop – maybe a special lecture once a month at the university could be a good start! Kadalak001

Going for a stroll

For some reason taking photos in Timor-Leste isn’t as relaxed as other places – well that’s what it seems for some of us amateur photographers. After spending over a year in Timor, I’ve chalked up approximately 5 rolls of film and probably a total of 500 photos from friends. To get out and take more photos, we decided to setup a small photo club so that we could get together to take some photos and get some criticism on what works and what doesn’t… it helps us take back memories of Timor and, hopefully, helps to improve our photographic skills. Last weekend was our first outing and here are a few photos I took with my camera, including this boy who was with a bunch of kids running around like crazy when they saw us taking photos… i think some of them didn’t realize I wasn’t shooting digital so when they came to ask to see their photos and realized I couldn’t show them, they said “no good”… hmmm… even kids from one of the poorest countries in  the world are hinting that maybe I should switch to digital! Just behind a market in Taibessi where the streets are lined with huge what looks like banyan streets.
Inside the market, this is a typical scene of how people buy fruits and veggies in Dili. You have two choices, either off of a stick or on the ground… it’s interesting that most of the times, it’s guys who go around with the stick and women who sell veggies in one place.
Public transit in Timor-Leste – called “microlets” these small little vans carry people across Dili and the districts. Usually the conductor is a teenage boy hanging off the side of the van looking for customers. All the vans have their own personal style (which would actually be a good photo project). Kadalak001

weekend in Baucau

Kadalak press, Had a chance to get out of Dili last weekend and visit the second largest city in Timor-Leste. Compared to Dili, Baucau is a sleepy town about 120km east of the capital city. From what we saw, there isn’t much going on in the town, so you can guess how it is in even smaller towns in the country. Having a car helps in this country, and just a few kms drive outside of Dili can be breathtaking.

Lucky for us there was a basketball tournament the weekend we were there so we had a chance to see teams from all over the country come to play. Aside from this special occasion, Baucau is known to tourists and expats from Dili as the place to go for the weekend.

The main attraction is the 10-room Pousada de Baucau, an all-pink guesthouse/hotel that is clean, has good service, and is a nice change from most of the dilapidated guesthouses and hotels in Dili. If there were more of these in other parts of the country (there could be, I haven’t been everywhere yet), it would definitely draw visitors and inject the local community with some income.

The definite highlight of the weekend was taking a short drive down to the beach. Around 5km north of the Pousada, down a long and steep road, we arrived at a fishing village with some of the bluest waters I’ve seen in a while. After a brief chat with a very friendly old man that was living on the beach, we went to a beach he recommended… even though there was a sign for crocodiles, we took a dip and lapped-up the scenery and tranquility of being in a small unknown corner of the world. Kadalak001

HIV Prevention Pill A Big Development In Communities Of Color

A new study by the National Institutes of Health suggests that a pill, known as Truvada, may be able to prevent HIV infection for gay and bisexual men. Host Allison Keyes talks with Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the Centers for Disease Control and Adolph Falcon of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health about the drug and what it could mean for communities of color which are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS in the US.

Copyright © 2010 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

ALLISON KEYES, host:

I'm Allison Keyes and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel Martin is away.

In just a few minutes, we'll talk to a Zambian AIDS activist about an apparently stunning change of course for the Vatican. What does the Pope's newly expressed thinking on condoms mean to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, where the Catholic Church holds such sway?

But, first, we go to a possible breakthrough in HIV research. A National Institutes of Health study suggests that a drug called Truvada can help prevent HIV infection for gay and bisexual men. It's the first indication of an oral drug that can provide protection against HIV infection.

To tell us more about the new study and what it means for people concerned about contracting the HIV virus, we're joined by Dr. Jonathan Mermin from the Centers for Disease Control. He's on the phone from Atlanta. And here in studio is Adolph Falcon of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. Thank you, gentlemen, for joining us.

Dr. JONATHAN MERMIN (Centers for Disease Control): It's good to be here.

KEYES: Dr. Mermin, let me ask you first, what exactly did the study find about Truvada?

Dr. MERMIN: Well, the results from the study do represent a major advance. It's the first firm evidence we have that taking a drug can prevent people from getting HIV. In this case, reducing risk by 44 percent. And this is particularly welcome news since the study enrolled participants from one of the hardest hit groups: gay and bisexual men, among whom half of new HIV infections in the U.S. are occurring.

KEYES: Mr. Falcon, the U.N. announced this week that the global HIV pandemic is slowing. New cases have dropped almost 20 percent in the last decade. But there's already kind of a sense in the community that HIV is, you know, it's treatable now. It's not the death sentence that it used to be. Do you think that this drug is another step in people thinking that HIV is a manageable disease now?

Mr. ADOLPH FALCON (National Alliance for Hispanic Health): Well, I think one of the concerns is calling this the prevention pill might lead people to believe that there is something out there that is a cure. A prevention pill is really a misnomer for this. This is a prevention sometimes pill. You know, the study found that it worked about half the time. That's not a great number, you know.

I think the message needs to be really loud and clear from those of us in the public health community that the first line of defense remains safer sex.

KEYES: And people in the Latino and African-American community are much more at risk for HIV than the rest of the population, are they not?

Mr. FALCON: That's true. There's higher rates of new infections among both Hispanics and among African-Americans. The rates of new infections, for example, for Hispanic men are about twice those for non-Hispanic whites. And they're significantly higher, about six times, for non-Hispanic blacks.

So, those of us who have been working in this field almost have a little bit of a fatigue in not having had something new in the arsenal to help treat the rates of infections. And we're happy to have something new. But I think it's important to understand that while this may be something new, it's also not the first line of defense and we need to continue with our message of safer sex.

KEYES: Dr. Mermin, it's interesting that he just said arsenal because I seem to think that part of the studies show that Truvada needs to be used in conjuction with regular testing and counseling and using condoms. If you don't do all those other things, is this pill still going to be as effective as it seems to be in the study?

Dr. MERMIN: Well, it's true that it's not time for people to throw away their condoms. All of the participants in the study did receive intensive behavioral interventions, HIV testing and diagnosis and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

And so when we think about how effective this might be in the real world, we have to deal with the questions of - will people be able to take a drug every day? Will they continue to use other prevention intervention, such as condoms and risk behavior reductions and HIV testing?

And will we collectively be able to overcome the financial and operational barriers that will enable equal access to what is a costly and intensive intervention? Currently, the cost for a year supply of Truvada in the U.S. is over $10,000.

KEYES: Mr. Falcon, we were just speaking about the cost of the drug. That's going to be a little steep for low income communities, $36 a day?

Mr. FALCON: Well, the cost is a major concern and that's really why you have to look at this in terms of what are your best expenditures for prevention? For us, saving a life is priceless. But when you really look at the cost, I think one of the things that's getting missed in this study is the fact that the participants had such intensive prevention counseling.

Every month they had HIV testing. They had free condoms provided. They had regular counseling and they had management of other sexually transmitted diseases. And our HIV budget in this country, we just don't have those kinds of funds to provide that kind of intensive prevention counseling for everybody that needs it.

And I think that's really one of the kind of missing big lessons that came out of this study, is that prevention and counseling works. And we really should be ramping up our funding of that.

KEYES: Dr. Mermin, is there any thought that insurance would cover this for healthy people? I know that so far it covers for people that already suffering, but what if people are using it as a preventive measure?

Dr. MERMIN: We don't know. But we do believe that effective prevention interventions, including this one, should be available to all of those Americans who need them. So we need to collaboratively bring together all the key players from the public and private sector to try to ensure that this drug is affordable and accessible to all of those at very high risk for HIV infection.

KEYES: We're going to have to leave it there, gentlemen. Dr. Jonathan Mermin is director of the division of HIV/AIDS prevention for the CDC. He spoke to us by phone from rainy Atlanta, Georgia.

Adolph Falcon is senior vice president for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. And he joined me here in our Washington, D.C. studios. Thank you, gentlemen, so much for joining us, and happy holidays.

Dr. MERMIN: Thank you very much.

Mr. FALCON: Happy holidays.

Copyright © 2010 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.Kadalak001

Fighting Leprosy In East Timor

lished by djmick on November 1st, 2010

East Timor is one of two places worldwide – the other is Brazil – where Leprosy is still widespread enough to be considered a public health threat.

Leprosy is not a killer, but a chronic bacterial infection that seriously disables those not quick enough to identify and treat it. Like tuberculosis, it can stay dormant for years before attacking and slowly shutting down the nerves that allow a hand to make a fist or a foot to flex.

It typically starts as a light-colored patch on the skin and then spreads, stopping hair from growing on affected areas and short-circuiting sweat and oil glands. Eventually, hands and feet go numb and begin to claw inward, leading to injuries that go unnoticed and become infected because no pain is felt. Sometimes, in the worst cases, fingers and toes are lost or blindness occurs.

This set of photographs come from the Oe-cusse Enclave, a lush secluded area cut off from the rest of East Timor by the Savu Sea.

Time seems to have stopped here, and the disease believed long gone in many parts of the world continues to nibble away at lives, despite a three-pill cure recommended for the past three decades.

The number of new infections in East Timor, home to about 1 million people, has dwindled to 160 last year. It is nearly within the World Health Organization’s target for elimination, or less than one case per 10,000 people. Kadalak001

Tiny East Timor declares war on leprosy

If there really was a place so remote it could be called the end of the earth, Adelino Quelo's shabby little hut would be prime real estate.

His thatch teepee-shaped home is the last stop in tiny East Timor. It is perched on the side of a rugged emerald mountain with a million-dollar view of neighboring Indonesia, so close you can almost touch it.

As rare visitors holler his name, a slow shuffling comes from the dirt floor inside. A minute passes and Quelo, 68, appears at the small opening carved out near the ground. He scoots on his rear and grunts while laboriously dragging one leg, then one arm on each side, using a torn pair of mismatched flip flops as his only aid.

His fingers, toes and parts of his hands and feet are missing. Only stubby knobs remain, keeping him from standing, gripping or even bathing himself. But Quelo smiles a toothless grin and motions for his guests to come closer, apologizing for having nothing to offer but his story.

He is just one face of leprosy in a country that has declared war on the age-old scourge. East Timor is one of two places worldwide — the other is Brazil — where the disease is still widespread enough to be considered a public health threat.

But for Quelo, the fight comes far too late.

"I, myself, already suffer from this, and it's enough," he says, a dirty sarong hiked up on his right thigh, exposing a large open sore. "I hope no one else will suffer this.

Oe-cusse Enclave, a lush secluded area cut off from the rest of East Timor by the Savu Sea, is thought to have been a leprosy colony during Portuguese and later Indonesian rule.

Roughly the size of New York City, it was positioned on the front lines during the brutal fight for independence from Indonesia 11 years ago and was nearly destroyed. Monuments now mark the sites of bloody massacres.

Its 60,000 people are survivors, but they are dangerously poor. Living conditions worsen as the roads narrow and grow steeper, exposing naked children with bulging bellies and blond-streaked hair — signs of malnutrition.

Time seems to have stopped here, and the disease believed long gone in many parts of the world continues to nibble away at lives, despite a three-pill cure recommended for the past three decades. But the number of new infections in East Timor, home to about 1 million people, has dwindled to 160 last year. It is nearly within the World Health Organization's target for elimination, or less than one case per 10,000 people.

Now leprosy specialists like Dr. Rosmini Day, who's battled the disease for 20 years across Asia, are scouring this secluded pocket for new cases to determine if East Timor will meet the mark by year's end. Since the campaign began in 1991, the number of new leprosy patients worldwide has plummeted from about 10 million to 250,000. Leprosy is virtually nonexistent in the West, with only about 150 cases reported in the U.S. annually.

Some experts argue the WHO target makes people wrongly believe that an already neglected disease has been wiped out entirely. And some question the authenticity of the count in countries driven to meet world goals.

But Day, a 62-year-old Indonesian grandmother, has come out of retirement to help East Timor with its last fight. She is a master at identifying the disease and believes no one should be overlooked, no matter how remote.

She hikes up a muddy mountain road too treacherous for even a 4X4 and examines a patient in the rain outside his hut. She interrupts a cock fight in another village to pinch and pull at the skin of a second patient's elbow to see how fast it snaps back. She stops at a third man's house and calls him out onto the road from a funeral to have a look beneath his shirt.

Leprosy is difficult to identify in the early stages, but Day says it's important for a new generation of health workers to learn the traits to stop the spread and cure patients before damage is done. It's the only way to truly get rid of the disease.

"I use a sarong to protect my toes, but the rats still come in the nighttime and eat at my toes," says Luis Siqueira Afoan, 65, a patient who walked more than 2 miles (1 kilometer) on dry blackened nubs to see the doctor who can do nothing to help. "When I'm sleeping, I put my fingers under my head, but the rats still come and eat at my fingers." ____ Quelo lives a 30-minute hike down a steep hill and across three fences from Malelat village, home to the enclave's worst cases. Of the 300 families living here, nearly everyone has a relative or neighbor suffering from the lasting effects of leprosy. Like most of them, he was infected decades ago as a farmer before medicine was available. By the time he finally received the antibiotics, the disease was already advanced, forcing him to slowly watch his limbs die. "I use my hand with a rubber band and a spoon because I don't have fingers anymore," he says, sitting crumpled up on the ground outside his hut as two brown puppies dance around him. "I lost the ability to walk more than 20 years ago." Leprosy is not a killer, but a chronic bacterial infection that seriously disables those not quick enough to identify and treat it. Like tuberculosis, it can stay dormant for years before attacking and slowly shutting down the nerves that allow a hand to make a fist or a foot to flex. It typically starts as a light-colored patch on the skin and then spreads, stopping hair from growing on affected areas and short-circuiting sweat and oil glands. Eventually, hands and feet go numb and begin to claw inward, leading to injuries that go unnoticed and become infected because no pain is felt. Sometimes, in the worst cases, fingers and toes are lost or blindness occurs. "It maims people, it cripples them and it makes their lives shorter because they cannot work and therefore they cannot eat," says Dr. Denis Daumerie, project manager of Neglected Tropical Diseases at the WHO in Geneva, who's been working with leprosy for nearly three decades. "It kills slowly. It leads to discrimination and social exclusion, which in many societies is worse than death." Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, is arguably one of the most feared maladies ever. It was discovered in a 4,000-year-old skeleton from India, and has continued to disfigure and ostracize those afflicted throughout the ages. Despite its longevity, much about it remains a mystery. Scientists believe it is spread through droplets from coughing or sneezing during prolonged contact with someone infected, but they are still not completely sure. About 95 percent of people exposed to the germ never develop leprosy. Before a cure existed, rampant fears ran wild that leprosy could easily spread through the air or by touching someone infected. Many victims were forced into so-called leper colonies, which were often faraway areas cut off from the rest of the world. One of the most well-known sites was on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where only a few former patients still remain, voluntarily. But active leprosy communities still exist in several countries, mainly in Asia, including Vietnam and China. Hundreds of colonies remain in India, home to half of all new cases identified last year, where even the healthy children of former patients are still discriminated against. "Leprosy remains a word that's associated with stigma and fear — even mainstream newspapers still use the word 'leper' to denote somebody who's an outcast," says Dr. Diana Lockwood, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who has studied the disease for 30 years. "Nobody should need to go into a leprosy community now because we have good outpatient-based treatment." But in East Timor, and specifically Oe-cusse Enclave, leprosy is not feared as it is in richer, more educated places. Many patients here tell their friends and neighbors when they've been diagnosed, and the community becomes their support system. "I have no problem with my schoolmates," says Paulo Colo, 17, who is finishing a nine-month course of treatment after noticing the same patches on his skin that his father and brother suffered. "They don't keep their distance from me." ____ No one shuns or fears Quelo either, but the remoteness of his house keeps visitors from coming around. With no wheelchair or any form of transport, the disease has jailed him inside a hillside shack that lacks water, electricity or even a chair. But he's not alone. His watery eyes spark as he talks about his devoted wife and four daughters-in-law who care for him daily. "If she didn't love me then maybe I would have passed away a long time ago," Quelo says of his wife, who was out gathering food for dinner. "Our promise is: I need you and you need me, and then we take care of each other until the end of time." He still feels pain in his stick-thin legs and his lower back often aches from sitting all day with no support. He can't read and the days are long, but he says his faith has kept him strong. Like most people in East Timor, he was raised Roman Catholic. Every day he draws on sermons heard years ago in church. He smiles as he recalls the Biblical story where Jesus heals 10 leprosy patients, with only one returning to give thanks. "Even though I am suffering like this, I have never blamed my God. I am satisfied with my life even though I am a leprosy patient," says Quelo, a head of gray curls surrounding his worn face. "I am thankful that he has taken care of me into old age." He then begins to drag what's left of his body back into the hut. As he moves one foot, then one arm at a time, the sound of hard breathing slowly fades into the darkness. Kadalak001

East Timor Declares War on Leprosy

Chad Bouchard | Dili 30 January 2010

East Timor is one of the few remaining countries where leprosy is endemic, and one of only two in Asia where it has yet to be eliminated. The government has declared war on leprosy, and vows to eliminate it this year.

Florindo di Silva started feeling pain in his eyes four years ago. The 60-year-old father of six says he went to a doctor in the East Timor capital, Dili, but no treatment was available. The disease that caused di Silva to lose vision, and his hands and toes to go numb - turned out to be leprosy.

He says he can walk a little bit, he can chop wood, but it hurts. Right now, his hands cannot do anything. Di Silva says his eyes and head hurt every day, and he is not strong enough to cut coconuts with a knife.

According to the World Health Organization, di Silva is one of about 1,300 new cases of leprosy that have been detected in East Timor since 2004.

Health officials say the number of undocumented people living with disabilities caused by leprosy is likely three times higher.

Some progress has been made. In 2004, the overall ratio of infection was 4.7 per 10,000 people. In 2009, that fell to 1.3 per 10,000.

The decline is due in large part to a program that blanketed the country with hundreds of health ministry staff members able to diagnose and manage the disease.

One of those health workers, Jose Pereira, works at a clinic where he monitors di Silva and about 12 other patients with leprosy.

Pereira says if his patients do not come to the clinic to get medicine, he goes to their houses in the villages to give them medicine. But, he says, they often ask for food, and he does not have any to give, and it is very difficult.

Leprosy is relatively easy to treat with a cocktail of antibacterial drugs known as multidrug therapy. After taking the medicine for one month, patients are no longer contagious, and damage from the disease stops for good after a few months.
Poverty - a key challenge

But poverty is a key barrier to eliminating the disease. Natalie Smith, the country leader for the Leprosy Mission in East Timor, says the bacteria that causes the disease is endemic here, and flourishes in a population that is largely isolated, malnourished and living in unsanitary conditions.

"It really thrives where there's poverty, poor sanitation, poor diet and poor hygiene and those sort of contribute to affect the people living in that environment's immune system, so when their immune system is compromised, they're more susceptible to catching leprosy," said Smith.

In rural East Timor, where about three quarters of the country's 1.1 million residents live, diagnosing patients and ensuring treatment remains a challenge. Smith says failing to identify the disease and treat it perpetuates a crushing cycle of poverty.

"I think it needs to be a priority because of the disability that it produces. And there's been a lot of studies on the burden of disability now and the fact that if people with disabilities are assisted and helped they can actually add to a country's economic viability rather than economic demise. But the longer we delay in treating someone, the more likely they're going to get nerve damage and that's going to lead to long-term disability," she said.
Leprosy campaign

The government has vowed to eliminate the disease this year. The head of East Timor's Leprosy Program at the Ministry of Health, Jose Liu Fernandes, says to do that, the government has begun a radio and television campaign about the disease and how to prevent it.

He says East Timorese do not yet know enough about the disease, so they are surprised when they contract it. Fernandes says they need to teach people that if they start feeling numbness in their hands, it could be leprosy.

In many countries, people with leprosy are shunned and face a lifetime of isolation.

But Salvador Amaral, with the World Health Organization, says there is no such stigma in East Timor. Salvador says traditionally here, leprosy is not considered to be a disease, but a result of eating certain foods, like fish, or a curse from God.

Back in the outskirts of Dili, 22-year-old Joao Godinho Sarmento recounts how he started noticing light patches on his arms six years ago. It turned out to be early signs of leprosy. Doctors caught the disease before it caused serious disability.

Sarmento says his life is pretty normal. He does not have problems at school, and no one considers him to be different or disabled. He hopes other people who have this disease can realize they are not different from anyone else.

Sarmento studies mathematics at the national university, and hopes to become a teacher or an engineer. kadalak001

Saida Mak barlaki

EDITORIAL : Sistema Barlaki iha TL

Maun alin inan feton Timor Loro sa’e, rai ulun rai ikun, tasi feto to’o ba tasi mane, loron foun sa’e ona leno rai Timor, Timor oan hotu presija hamutuk fo liman ba malu sai ema ida deit hodi foti no tane kultura rai Timor sai mos hanesan riku soin iha parte identidade bo’ot ba iha rai doben ida ne’e.
Ba edisaun premeiro husi A voz de cultura equipa husi jornal ida ne’e hakarak koko atu hakerek lia fuan ruma kona ba barlaky ninian tamba ita hotu hatene katak iha ita nia rain systema ida ne’e sei buras liu-liu iha distritu 12 (capital Dili la kentara) tamba ne’e iha uju no custumi ita nia, hori uluk hori wain desde beiala sira nia tempu ate agora sei kontinua nafatin.
Wainhira iha lia moris hanesan ita bolu hatun folin hanesan iha oan mane hola(laos sosa) oan feto ruma sempre akontese tuir uma lisan idak-idak nian iha teritorio rai doben ida ne’e nia laran. laos dehan sistema hatun folin ba oan feto atu sosa kotu oan feto, maybe ne’e hanesan aitukan ho bemanas atu oferese nudar kolen husi inan aman nian liu-liu ba knua ida nebe refere. talves iha interpretasaun oioin husi ema idak-idak nia hanoin kona ba sistema ida ne’e, ba leitores sira hau konvida ita atu akompanha sistema ida ne’e iha distritu idak-idak.
Hanesan iha Bau-cau wainhira hatun folin ho animal no buat oi-oin maka hanesan karau, kuda no surik. kona ba karau no kuda konforme lia nain sira maka deside tuir nia volume no depende mos ba kultura nebe knua idak-idak implementa talves husi 6 to’o 12, ba surik defisil oituan ba ita nebe moris iha tempu modernu susar atu komprende laos buat nebe fasil.
Dala barak ita akompanha serimonia ida ne’e lia nain sira hare husi nia kualidade iha parte balun dehan hakarak surik Makasar, balun hakarak surik fatuk no konforme mos husi nia urat la hare ba nia modelu.
Ita loke to’ok agenda husi parte rai klaran nian hanesan Ainaro iha neba iha sistema rua atu halo barlaky maka hanesan wainhira oan feto no oan mane nebe maka hola malu tuir dalan hanesan tuananga bele iha redusaun ba folin hirak ne’e tamba iha relasaun familia hare husi parte feton ho na’an nian maybe ba ema nebe foin kuinhese iha mos sistema barlaky nebe adopta emgeral iha Ainaro maka hanesan karau, kuda, bibi no tua ne’e hanesan ita heteten iha leten katak ne’e hanesan bemanas no aitukan, ne’e maka kultura nebe implementa iha distritu Ainaro.
Hakat ba lospalos iha mos sistema nebe atu hanesan mos distritu Baucau nian hanesan karau, kuda morten no surik, antes atu deside katak karau hira no kuda hira hahu uluk ho kari batar musan husi parte familia mane nian atu hili batar musan hirak ne’e maybe tuir nia criteria iha mos suco balun que hanesan jerasaun liurai nia beioan wainhira ema ruma tuir oan feto atu hatun folin kona ba karau bele to’o 77 iha lospalos parte balun seikaer sistema ida hanesen ne;e maybe laos maioria
Maibe iha distritu oecuse diferente oituan ho nia belun distritu seluk laos dehan katak nia do’ok husi nia maun alin sira seluk nebe nia hakarak atu ketketak ho ninian maybe ne’e identidade rai ne’e nian duni.
Belun sira husi rai Belun Oecuse sempre hala’o sistema barlaky ida ne’e ho mexicana, belak no tais, hodi hatun folin ba oan feto. mexicana ne’e tuir hotu nia hanoin no hare katak ida ne’e osan husi nasaun Mexico nian. Karik ba jerasaun foun nebe moris tempu modernu ida ne’e ba ita sente komiku oituan tamba sa iha sistema ida hanesan ne’e?
Ne’e duvidas nebe bo’ot ba ita no hammosu perguntas hanesan iha leten.susar oituan atu foti desijaun no solusaun ba ida ne’e atu resolve. Parese ida hanesan valor no iha intersante ba ita nia beiala sira hodi nune’e Oecuse bele implementa sistema ida ne’e iha neba.
Ho tempu ida hanesan ne’e maka jornal A voz de cultura hakarak luta hodi hatene lolos tamba sa maka mosu buat ida nebe to’o agora ita jerasaun foun ida ne’e lahatene ninia signifika katak belak, morten, kaibauk, tais, surik no mexicana ne’e mai husi nebe no nia funsaun saida hodi haklaken ba mundo tomak katak ne’e maka ita nia kultura. Halo mudansa laos dehan atu hamate no halakon maybe presija atu hadia ho realidade nebe ita hare agora dadaun ne’e komesa atu lakon ona tamba laiha ema ida maka iha inisiativu atu haburas identidade Timor nian
Sekarik maka governu iha interese karik pelumenus halo kompetisaun ruma ba foin sae sira kona ba kultura Timor nian ba oan feto sira hanorin kona ba oinsa atu soru tais, homan biti no koko atu lao tuir hultura nebe beiala sira rai hela mai ita kona ba oan mane sira presiju mos aprende kona ba morten no belak hodi halo kompetisaun entre Distritu sira liu-liu ba foin sae sira. Sekarik maka ministerio trata kona ba ida ne’e ba jerasaun tuir mai sei hatene liu kona ba ita nia kultura no tradisaun. Ita foti ezemplu hanesan nasaun Thailandia ho Cina sira nia kultura avansa liu no ema barak maka hakarak atu asiste wainhira iha serimonia ritual nebe sira selebra, oinsa ita nia governu hare’e kona ba ida ne’e labele interese liu ba politika maybe presiju mos dezewnvolve kultura obrigado wa’in. Marciano Luz

Impaktu Modernizasaun ba Cultura Timor-Leste

A voz de cultura, hakarak lembra hikas aktividade cultura Timor Leste nian, liliu iha era modernizasaun ke juventude ka foin sae feto ho mane falta oituan deit fasil ona hakat ba hamutuk ho Cultura rai seluk nian.
Maske nune’e, sei iha jovens wain mos mak sei ejize maka’as atu mantein nafatin sistema cultura Timor nian, hanesan kazamentu, lian, dansa ou bidu no seluk tan atu hatudu no fo valor ba identidade rai ne’e nian.
Hare ba modernizasaun, Timor oan tomak, liliu joven sira mak kontinua eskola senti katak, era modernizasaun iha impaktu pozetivu no iha mos impaktu negativu ba Cultura Timor Leste nian.
Impaktu pozetivu, pur ezemplu ema Timor, liliu joventude sira hanoin katak, Cultura rai seluk nian bele fo valor iha aspektu oi-oin ba sira, wainhira identifika katak, Timor Leste hanesan mos nasaun ida ke presija inklui mos iha aktividade modernu.
Hanesan, dansa modernu, hatais modernu, koalia lian rai seluk nian no seluk tan, atu nune’e bele muda mentalidade ema ida-idak, liliu foin sae sira husi era klasiku, e ho intensaun dezenvolve nafatin Cultura Timor nian iha parte ne’ebe ke bele dezenvolve.
Maibe,kona ba modernizasaun hirak ne’e kuaze Timor Oan barak ke lakohi involve an iha era modernu, tamba involvimentu foin sae iha aktvidade hirak ne’e, fasil atu muda ema ida-idak nia mentalidade no sei lalao tuir Cultura Timor nian.
Ho hahalok no diferensias hirak ne’e, maka halo A voz de Cultura ho intensaun ida ke akomulativu atu fo hatene no fo hanoin ba ema Timor tomak, liliu foin sae sira atu akompania nafatin era modernizasaun mak influensia Cultura Timor, maibe tenki fo nafatin koragen atu dezenvolve nafatin Cultura Timor nian ke fo valor dignidade, vantagen no haburas nafatin identidade Timor nian iha mundu.
Maske nune’e, iha konstituisaun RDTL, artigu 59 alinia 5 hateten katak, ema hotu iha direitu atu goza no hari’i Cultura hanesan nia obrigasaun haburas, defende no fo valor ba patrimonia cultura ho sistema ida ne’e, A voz de Cultura bolu ita tomak atu tau preokupasaun, opiniaun ba prosesu ke presiza jerasaun foun bele hatene no kuinese sira nia identidade rasik,Hakerek Nain : Saturnino/N (Grupu A V C)

Impaktu Modernizasaun ba Cultura Timor-Leste

A voz de cultura, hakarak lembra hikas aktividade cultura Timor Leste nian, liliu iha era modernizasaun ke juventude ka foin sae feto ho mane falta oituan deit fasil ona hakat ba hamutuk ho Cultura rai seluk nian.
Maske nune’e, sei iha jovens wain mos mak sei ejize maka’as atu mantein nafatin sistema cultura Timor nian, hanesan kazamentu, lian, dansa ou bidu no seluk tan atu hatudu no fo valor ba identidade rai ne’e nian.
Hare ba modernizasaun, Timor oan tomak, liliu joven sira mak kontinua eskola senti katak, era modernizasaun iha impaktu pozetivu no iha mos impaktu negativu ba Cultura Timor Leste nian.
Impaktu pozetivu, pur ezemplu ema Timor, liliu joventude sira hanoin katak, Cultura rai seluk nian bele fo valor iha aspektu oi-oin ba sira, wainhira identifika katak, Timor Leste hanesan mos nasaun ida ke presija inklui mos iha aktividade modernu.
Hanesan, dansa modernu, hatais modernu, koalia lian rai seluk nian no seluk tan, atu nune’e bele muda mentalidade ema ida-idak, liliu foin sae sira husi era klasiku, e ho intensaun dezenvolve nafatin Cultura Timor nian iha parte ne’ebe ke bele dezenvolve.
Maibe,kona ba modernizasaun hirak ne’e kuaze Timor Oan barak ke lakohi involve an iha era modernu, tamba involvimentu foin sae iha aktvidade hirak ne’e, fasil atu muda ema ida-idak nia mentalidade no sei lalao tuir Cultura Timor nian.
Ho hahalok no diferensias hirak ne’e, maka halo A voz de Cultura ho intensaun ida ke akomulativu atu fo hatene no fo hanoin ba ema Timor tomak, liliu foin sae sira atu akompania nafatin era modernizasaun mak influensia Cultura Timor, maibe tenki fo nafatin koragen atu dezenvolve nafatin Cultura Timor nian ke fo valor dignidade, vantagen no haburas nafatin identidade Timor nian iha mundu.
Maske nune’e, iha konstituisaun RDTL, artigu 59 alinia 5 hateten katak, ema hotu iha direitu atu goza no hari’i Cultura hanesan nia obrigasaun haburas, defende no fo valor ba patrimonia cultura ho sistema ida ne’e, A voz de Cultura bolu ita tomak atu tau preokupasaun, opiniaun ba prosesu ke presiza jerasaun foun bele hatene no kuinese sira nia identidade rasik.

Cultura Nu’udar Identidade ba Nasaun Fo Kbi’it ba Credibilidade no Dignidade

Moris Iha familia ida sempre fó identidade personel bá membro familia ida-idak, hanesan naran, data moris, fó naran tuir avó sira ne’ebé mate tiha ona, tuir avó parte aman nian ká liña aman nian, ema hanaran “ patrilineal” no tuir liña parte inan nian ema hanaran “matrilineal”. Maibe identidade no fó naran bá membro familia hirak ne’e lá hanesan, maske iha familia ida, ema nain ida ká rua maka iha oan balu naran hanesan, tanba iha rasaun ho tradisaun uma lulik nian hanesan fó mehi mai liu husi inan ká aman, tenke fó naran hanesan ne’e.
Nu’udar ema moris iha nasaun ida sempre iha identidade mesak, maka hanesan kultura, kustuma, behaviorismo ká hahalok ema nian rasik, grupo etnico rasik lingua rasik, kustoma traditional rasik hanesan harohan ká hamulak, adora, tuir metodo uniko rasik. Tanbá buat hirak ne’e mai husi ita nia beiala sira rasik. Hodi nune’e ita gerasaun husi rai ida ne’e hodi hala’o tuir hahalok ne’ebé sira hela mai ita hotu iha rai ida ne’e.
Tuir ita hotu nia observasaun loron-loron, ema Timor oan rasik lá respeito ká viola sira nia kultura rasik, liu-liu joven feto sira, hahalok hanesan tau ropa bá escola lá tuir regras ne’ebé deretor escola nian tau bá estudantes hotu-hotu, hodi ida ne’e hamosu violensia oin-oin mosu bá feto sira.
Tau ropa bá iha publiko, lá tuir kustuma Timor nian rasik, hanesan feto barak uza singlet hanesan mane sira uza.
Feto sira dala barak uza deit bikini, hodi pasiar bá nebe deit tuir sira nia hakarak.
Tuir buat ne’ebé ita nia avó sira hela mai ita, liu-liu kustuma hatais ropa, feto tenke hatais ropa taka sira nia isin lolon tomak, susun lá bele sai, kelen lá bele sai, maibe agora ne’e, feto Timor oan rasik lá tuir regras tradisaun Timor nian, tanba ema Internasional barak maka aplika mai ita hodi nune’e, ita rasik soe kultura ida ne’e atu haluha deit ona, depois tau fali ema nian maka iha ita nia oin, ida ne’e maka diak liu karik? Iha loron ida, iha tinan 2003, iha tuku 3 lorokraik, iha ita nia feton joven balun hatais ropa ne’ebé lá tuir kultura Timor nian, hatais kalsa badak, depois hatais deit bikini tama iha Mercado lama, iha tia no tiu sira fa’an sasan iha ne’ebá duni sira tama to’o iha kantor telkom, depois UNPOL sira maka salva sira, se lae sira hetan tortura husi ita nia tiu no tia sira.
Se ita rasik viola ita nia kultura no kustuma rasik, sé maka atu respeita bá ita nia kultura rasik? No sé lós maka atu desemvolve kultura ida ne’e atu bele hadia bá oin? Ita mesak tenke hadia ita rasik ninia oin, identidade, kultura no kredibilidade no dignidade rai ida ne’e nian. La’os ema nasun seluk maka atu hadia ita nia kultura no kustuma. La’os ema rai seluk maka atu desemvolve ita nia kultura rasik hanesan fó ita ukun rasik’an.
Ida ne’e imposibel mai ita hotu, tanba ita hakarak foti deit maka ema nian, ita nian ita haluha tiha. Hanesan, parte dansa, dala barak ita usa dansa ema strangeiros nian hanesan ‘bailharoda’, no dansa hakuak malu, ida ne’e ita bele tau, maibe ita tau barak liu maka ida ne’ebé ita nian rasik.
Ida ne’e iha relasaun kona-ba, cultura, cultura tuir enciclopedia,etimologia husi lian Latin, husi liafuan, cultus, cultura, pasivo perfeito kultiva, adora, iha relasaun ho liafuan colonus no colonia. Kultura katak: 1. Arte, kustuma, habituasaun ne’ebé karakteriza bá partikular sociedade ida iha nasaun ida nia laran. 2. Fiar, valor, hahalok, material ká sasan hanesan dalan moris ema nian. 3. (Prosesu microbiologia kona-ba bakteria ruma ká entidade biologica seluk iha arteficial medium ruma).
Koñesemento ruma pasa husi gerasaun ida bá gerasaun seluk, laiha necesario ho respeito bá moris umana nian. 5. Subtantivo kolectiva ká grupo ruma hanesan husi grupo bacteria nian, tuir dicionary The American Heritage hateten katak, “ hahalok particular civilizasaun husi nasaun ida ne’ebé ke lolos” hanesan periodo kultura ema Yunani sira nian. Desemvolve no hadia kona-ba hanoin edukasaun no treinamento nian.
Kultura tuir teoria, hanesan parte ida ká sanak ida husi Antropologia no seluk tan ne’ebé iha relasaun ho Sociologia, kultura tuir hala’o operasaun no termos sientifica. Iha sekúlo 19 nia laran, kultura ema utiliza bá aktividade umana nian no lia fuan seluk hanesan sinonimo civilizasaun (peradaban). Iha sekúlo 20 nia laran, ema hakerek antropologia nain sira komesa halo teoria kona-ba ‘kultura’ hanesan objeto ida atu uza ká analiza bá sientifica nian. Balu uza bá strategia adaptivo ne’ebé lahanesan husi ema ida bá ema seluk.
Tuir pontu debista ida ne’e, kultura sai hanesan parte integral ida husi existensia umana nian, ida ne’e maka umana nian, ida ne’e maka ambiente umano no dala barak kultura bele iha mudansa bele sai hanesan atribuisaun bá ema nian tuir eventos kona-ba istoria ninian.
Hakerek nain : J.D Silva

Uluk Maubisse La Susar Ai-han

MAUBISSE,(AVC): Hori tempu uluk, Timor maioaria la susar ai-han, tamba beila sira nia fiar ba kultura tradisaun adat, rai, fatuk no ai sira bo’ot tebes, maybe ohin loron rai modernu saida mak akontese, Timor oan sira dala ruma sempre hasoru problema hamlaha.
Tuir aiknanoik, bainhira ita atu halao aktividades servisu oan ruma, uluk nanain sei husu harohan uluk ba inan ou aman (aman mak ida ne’ebe iha lalehan loron ho kalan leno no fihir hodi fo hela nia mahon mai, inan mak ida ne’ebe loron ho kalan tane no kuikadu), maybe ohin loron, buat dehan rai sarani, eventu no ritual hirak ne’e sai haluhan mos lakon.
Tuir Lia Nain, Jose Barreto, husi uma fukun Kuklik Tau id ou uma fukun Liurai ne’ebe reprezenta mos hanesan uma fukun bo’ot iha Suku Edi, Sub-Distritu Maubisse, haktuir iha tempu uluk, bainhira hanoin atu lere tos ba dala uluk ita tenkiser sukat uluk lai, kuandu bainhira ita la sukat, entaun ai-han ne’ebe ita kuda hanesan batar dala ruma ita soe estraga deit, tamba ema ida halao tos nia metro 40 deit mos han ba la hotu, ne’e bele han fali to’o batar foun kustume bolu dehan batar sa’e tiha ona uma mos ida ne’ebe halo uluk sei iha nafatin.
Maibe ohin loron ita bele kaer tos bo’ot, hectares mesak rua ou tolu maybe ita la halo, tamba ita haluhan tiha kultura ne’ebe mak beila sira husik hela mai ita nudar riku soin ne’ebe mak ita la bele soe deit nune’e.
Uluk tempu beila sira, iha Suku Edi partensia uma fukun Kuklik, kuandu bainhira udan monu rai, beila sira sei lori bua, malus, tais, lohu, kalbaka, animal hanesan manu ou fahi hodi ba hasa’e ba iha foho ida naran Bi Edi, foho ne’e hanesan tinan-tinan, beila sira ba simu batar, antes atu simu uluk nanain sira tenki ser hamulak uluk, depois nune’e sira foti tais nahe iha ai ida ne’ebe sira hanaran Amar nia hun, sira lori animal ne’ebe prepara tiha ona hisik nia ran hadulas, dehan la kleur deit nune’e, ema nia liman tuka deit iha sikun lolo sai mai uja relojiu mean komesa hatun batar, fore no inklui mos fini sira seluk, bainhira hare ba fini barak ona, beila sira sei bolu, inan ou aman naton ona ba ne’e, nune’e foin hapara.
“Maibe ohin loron ami triste tebes, ami bele halo tos bo’ot, rai mesak luan, ai-han ba ami nunka mais atu bele sufsiente hodi responde ami nia moris lor-loron, maibe agora ami komesa koko fali ona. Tuir Lia nain Barreto, ita iha tempu uluk be’e mos iha nia tinan ou loron bo’ot, ai mos hanesan, ne’e mai ami bolu naran ai hulu maun biuka,”. (Grupu AVC)

Religiaun-Kultura Lao Hamutuk Unidade Sei Metin

MAUBISSE-AVC-Bispo Dioseze Baucau, Dom. Basilio Do Nasimento, hateten akomulasaun ba tradisaun kultura ho religiaun lao hamutuk, signifika katak unidade sarani sira nia sei metin liu tan bainhira parte rua ne’e lao hamutuk.
Lia hirak ne’e hato’o husi Dom Nasimento, ba sarani Maubisse, bainhira inagura uma lisan Laku ne’ebe reprezenta uma lulik Maubisse tomak, Kinta (04/04). Inagurasaun ba uma Laku hodi loke selebrasaun festa cruz jovem antes atu entrega ba sarani parokia Venilale.
Tuir observasaun, A Voz De Cultura, sarani ne’ebe partisipa iha festa selebrasaun ne’e kuaze besik rehun rua resin, sarani sira ho antusiasmu ho laran ksolok hodi simu Dom. Nasimento ho bainaka ne’ebe ba husi fatin dok, espesialmente sarani parokia Venilale.
Antes de uma Laku inagura husi Bispo, ba dala uluk lia nain sira sei simu ho srigala ou lian dadoli, “Aman Nai Bispo ohin loron ida ne’e ita bo’ot hi’it an to’o mai iha ami nia le’et, ami nahe biti, nahe bora simu ho kontenti no simu ho haksolok, iha Maubisse Mauloko sidau lakoda, liman ida la tohar, ain ida la naksalak, leno dalan mai ba fo naroman mai ami, ami sarani Maubisse tuku tur harohan hein ita nia bensaun,” ne’e mak lia dadoli badak ne’ebe hato’o husi lia nain sira ba Dom. Nasimento ho bainaka sira,”.
“Ohin ita hare ho matan husi nakukun ba naroman ne’e ita lao husi ne’ebe oinsa mak naroman ba iha nakukun no oinsa maka naroman ba hasoru nakukun, hodi fo sentidu ba ita hotu, parabens ba imi buka nafatin atu haklean ita nia kultura, kultura Timor li-liu kultura mambae ida ne’e hodi ba oin. Liu husi kultura ita hametin diak liu tan ita nia fiar iha Maromak ida ne’ebe hatudu nia an ba ita husi nia oan Jesus kristu, “tenik Nai Bispo Nasimento. Hakerek Nain : Saturnino/N (Grupu A V C)